death certificate

noun

: an official document that gives information about a person's death (such as when and how the death happened)

Examples of death certificate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

His publicist initially told the Associated Press that the renowned designer died of pneumonia, but a death certificate obtained by Us Weekly paints a different picture. — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026

According to an exclusive new report in US magazine, Mackie’s immediate cause of death is listed in a death certificate, obtained by the news outlet yesterday, as a subarachnoid hemorrhage and blunt head trauma. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2026

The Saved by the Bell star’s immediate cause of death was Parkinson’s disease, according to death certificate from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health obtained by TMZ. — Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Oct. 2026

Busch died in May from hemorrhagic shock and disseminated intravascular coagulation after complications from bacterial pneumonia led to sepsis, according to the former NASCAR star’s death certificate. — ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026

Legal Definition

death certificate

noun

: a document setting forth information (as age, occupation, and place of birth) relating to a dead person and including a doctor's certification of the cause of death

Note: Death certificates are issued by a particular public official, as a city or town clerk. A death certificate is required to document a person's death for certain purposes, as to file an estate tax return or to probate an estate.